Eresus moravicus
| Eresus moravicus | ||||||||||||
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Eresus moravicus , male |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Eresus moravicus | ||||||||||||
| Řezáč , 2008 |
Eresus moravicus is a spider from the family of the tube spiders (Eresidae). It is one of the three Central European species that used to be grouped under the scientific names Eresus niger or Eresus cinnaberinus . Eresus moravicus has been considered a separate speciessince 2008. The other two species that formerly belonged to the species complex with the German-language name Zinnoberrote Röhrenspinne are Eresus kollari and Eresus sandaliatus .
description
female
The females reach a body length of 5.9 to 9.9 millimeters, their wingspan is up to 20 millimeters. Eresus moravicus is thus the largest of the Central European Eresus species. The females are almost twice as large as the males and appear stocky and strong because of their relatively short legs. In contrast to the males, they are almost entirely black in color. Only in the front area of the prosoma do they have orange hairs. The base members of the chelicerae are also colored orange. The females of Eresus moravicus differ from the other closely related species by the color and shape of the prosoma .
male
The body length of the males is 3.5 to 5.6 millimeters. The front part of the body (prosoma) is mostly black haired. The rear edge of the prosoma is lined with red. The males look very similar to those of other Eresus species. They also have a red abdomen on top with four black dots. These points as well as the red top are bordered by a narrow white border. The males of Eresus kollari also show this feature, but not those of Eresus sandaliatus , which have two other, but smaller, black spots on the abdomen. In the males of Eresus moravicus , only the first pair of legs is black and has conspicuous white rings. The other pairs of legs are almost entirely red. This can also be used to differentiate between species.
Similar species
The similarities of Eresus moravicus and the red tube spider ( Eresus kollari ) as well as Eresus sandaliatus have led in the past to the fact that the three species were carried under the same name Eresus cinnaberius . It was not until 2008 that these Central European species of the genus Eresus were re-divided after precise morphological investigations. The molecular biological research suggests that there is a fourth species of this species complex in Central Europe, but it could also be a hybrid form between Eresus kollari and Eresus sandaliatus .
Occurrence
Similar to other species of the genus, this species occurs on stony and rocky slopes with little vegetation. So far the species has been sighted in southern Austria , the Czech Republic , Slovakia and Hungary . However, their area of distribution has not yet been adequately documented and is probably larger.
Way of life
Eresus moravicus digs up to ten centimeters deep living tubes in the ground that are lined with spider silk. The soil temperature around ten centimeters deep in the distribution area is a decisive factor for the spider's survival. The tube has a diameter of around one centimeter. There is a solid woven ceiling at the entrance. Aggregations in the form of family colonies, consisting of the mother and young animals , often live in these tubes .
Up to 80 eggs are laid in a cocoon, which is few in comparison to the related species Eresus walckenaeri , which lays up to 800 eggs, but has a different distribution behavior. The young of Eresus moravicus initially use the protection of the mother's living tube and then spread in the vicinity.
This slow type of spread has led to mosaic-like distribution patterns in which gaps are partially occupied by other, morphologically very similar Eresus species.
literature
- Heiko Bellman: The cosmos spider guide. Over 400 species in Europe. Kosmos nature guide. Kosmos (Franckh-Kosmos), 1st edition, 2010, p. 64 ISBN 978-3-440-10114-8
Web links
- Eresus moravicus in the World Spider Catalog
- Eresus moravicus in Fauna Europaea